Virginia Motorsports Park (VMP) is a 1/4 mile (0.402 km) dragstrip in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, just outside of Petersburg.Virginia Motorsports Park, Retrieved Jun. 10, 2018. It opened in 1994 and originally hosted the NHRA's Virginia NHRA Nationals. It has a seating capacity of 23,000 spectators. After a brief time with IHRA beginning in 2010, the track returned to NHRA in 2012.
On January 30, 2018, NHRA announced that a pro national event will be returning to Virginia Motorsports Park, as the NHRA Summernationals moved from Englishtown, New Jersey, after Old Bridge Township Raceway Park decided to cancel all drag racing operations there earlier in the month.National Hot Rod Association, NHRA partners with Virginia Motorsports Park to host NHRA Virginia Nationals, NHRA.com, January 30, 2018, Retrieved Jan. 30, 2018.BangShift.com, Bad News: Raceway Park Will Cease Drag Racing Operations – The End Of Englishtown Appears To Be Nigh by Brian Lohnes, January 16, 2018, Retrieved Jan. 30, 2018. The first Virginia NHRA Nationals took place in early June 2018. That event lasted two seasons before being removed by the NHRA on March 25, 2020 as part of a purge of races to reduce the schedule to 19 events because of the COVID-19 pandemic.National Hot Rod Association, 2022 Virginia NHRA Nationals, Retrieved Apr. 15, 2022. The Virginia NHRA Nationals returned in May 2022. It was not held in 2023, but did return to the NHRA Misson Foods Drag Racing Series schedudle in 2024 and will take place again June 20-22, 2025.National Hot Rod Association, 2025 Virginia NHRA Nationals, Retrieved May 3, 2025.
Virginia Motorsports Park is also a member track of the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA), a regional sanctioning body of professional 1/8 mile (0.201 km) doorslammer (Pro Stock and Pro Modified) style drag racing, with Pro Modified classes split by type of power boosters added (turbocharger/supercharger, nitrous oxide, and an entry-level 632ci limit format), and the Pro Stock class being Mountain Motor.Professional Drag Racers Association, Retrieved Jun. 10, 2018. The current owners are Tommy and Judy Franklin, who purchased the facility in 2017.The Progress-Index, Drag racing returns to Virginia Motorsports Park by Geneva Heffernan, June 8, 2018 , Retrieved Jun. 10, 2018. Tommy Franklin is also one of the founders of PDRA.Professional Drag Racers Association - About PDRA, Retrieved Jun. 10, 2018. The track has been hosting the PDRA Brian Olson Memorial World Finals since October 2019.Professional Drag Racers Association, 2022 Schedule, Retrieved Apr. 15, 2022.
Virginia Motorsports Park has a dirt track located beside the dragstrip which hosts tractor pulling, motocross and other events.Virginia Motorsports Park - Dirt Track , Retrieved Jun. 10, 2018. The facility also hosts the annual Dinwiddie County Fair in October.Richmond Times-Dispatch, 2019 Dinwiddie County Fair, Retrieved May 19, 2019.Discover Dinwiddie, 2019 Dinwiddie County Fair , Retrieved May 19, 2019.
Current Track Records
CategoryE.T.SpeedDriverEventRefTop Fuel 3.654 Brittany Force 2022 Virginia NHRA Nationals Brittany Force 2022 Virginia NHRA NationalsFunny Car 3.853 Matt Hagan 2022 Virginia NHRA Nationals Matt Hagan 2022 Virginia NHRA NationalsPro Stock Motorcycle 6.703 Gaige Herrera 2024 Virginia NHRA Nationals Angie Smith 2022 Virginia NHRA Nationals
References
External links Official Site